DOCSLIB.ORG

Transgender 101

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Transgender 101 Transgender 101 By definition, transgender individuals must piece What does gender mean, anyway? together a self-identity that is different or in opposition to what everyone tells them they are. Although the Examining gender may seem either overt and rise of the internet and growing public visibility of obvious or confusing and complicated. Four key transgender people and issues are making it easier for concepts help clarify what is meant when referring individuals to tap into preexisting identity models and to “gender.” resources, the transgender experience is still largely an isolated, individual one. Gender Identity: An individual’s inner sense of their This might be the primary reason why the own gender, of being male, female, something in nomenclature for the trans experience is both between, or any other gender. unsettled and, among trans people themselves, very hotly contested.1 There are literally hundreds of words Gender Expression: How a person expresses their used to describe a trans identity or experience. gender through clothing and accessories, grooming, Therefore, the definitions offered here, like all trans speech, body language, social interactions and definitions, should be used gingerly and in a way that other behaviors. makes it possible for each trans individual hirself2 to use the term(s) sie considers most reflective of hir self- Gender Perception: How a person’s gender is concept and experience. perceived by others. External perceptions of an individual’s gender may or may not be in alignment The Terms Paradox with that person’s gender identity or intended One absolutely essential concept to be mindful of is gender expression, thus there may not be a what FORGE3 has coined as the Terms Paradox. consensus from outside observers about what Quite simply: gender an individual might be. Terms are crucial: Finding out what terms a person Gender and Sexual Orientation: In the United uses and then using their language is a primary way of States, there is widespread confusion between conveying respect and openness. gender identity and sexual orientation. Therefore, it is important to explicitly state that gender identity Terms are meaningless: Terms tell you none of what (whether a person sees himself or herself as male you need to know to provide appropriate services or or female or some other gender) and sexual have respectful, meaningful interactions. orientation [whether a person is generally physically and/or emotionally attracted to someone of their Two Broad Definition Categories same gender (gay, lesbian), someone of their “opposite” gender (heterosexual), both genders Due to the lack of consensus and the expansiveness (bisexual), or no genders (asexual)] are two of identity terms, only two broad categories will be separate characteristics.4 Thus, trans people can be defined in this document: of any sexual orientation, and any given sexual orientation can include multiple genders. Transgender or Trans: An umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of people whose gender NOTE: Every person has a gender, gender identity, identity or expression may not match the sex they gender expression and gender perception – not just were assigned at birth, including (but not limited to): transgender people. Commonly, most cisgender MTS, FTMs, genderqueers, transsexuals, cross- (people who are not-transgender) Americans, think dressers, intersexed individuals, androgynes, butches, very little about their gender, typically taking it for bigendered persons, femmes, SOFFAs (Significant granted. Others, Friends, Family and Allies) and others. SOFFA: Significant Others, Friends, Family, and Allies. Everyone has a SOFFA circle; in this context, SOFFA refers to individuals who have a personal connection with a person whose gender identity or expression transcends societal norms. [The ratio of PO Box 1272, Milwaukee, WI 53201 trans people to SOFFAs is approximately 1:30.] 414.559.2123 | [email protected] www.forge-forward.org Transgender 101 Key concepts . The number of transgender people in this country is extremely large because “trans” can include everyone who bends gender and those brave enough to associate with them. Our culture places great value in maintaining a gender binary, where people are supposed to fit in either one of only 2 gender boxes. Gender is not 2-sizes fit all, but rather a fluid constellation of multiple identities, experiences, expressions, desires, and expectations that form a construct. Individuals may use (or not use) many techniques to bring out their gender (identity) and/or make their internal state match their external reality, including: hormones, clothing, name change, mannerisms, surgery, hairstyle, or many other possibilities. Transgender people can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight or asexual. Partners of trans people can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight or asexual. Many couples with a trans person have “mixed orientation” relationships where the couple holds seemingly “opposite” identities such as lesbian and heterosexual. A Small Sample of Trans and SOFFA Identity Terms admirer either girl merm post-op transexual agender enaree girlfag mesbian pre-op transfag ally epicene goy metamorph prettyboy transfagdrag ambigender FTM grrl mixed-gendered queen transfaghag ambiguous FTX gurl mohabbazin queer transfeminine androgyne faerie guy monogender questioning transgender androgynous fairy guydyke mukhannathun salmacian transgenderist anomalous female gynandroid multigender scrat transgirl asexual female-assigned gyrl mutarajjulat sekrata transguy bent female-bodied herm nadle self-defined transhag berdache feminine hermaphrodite neither sererr transman bigender feminist hermaphrodyke neuter neutral shaman transmasculine bioboy femme heterosexual neutrois shapeshifter transperson biogirl fluid hijra new man shemale transsensual boi fourth gender homoemotional new woman single-gender transsexual both freak homovestite ninauposkitzipsp sir transvestite boy galla human no-gender sissy transwoman boychick gender bender intergender no-op sister trisexual boydyke gender defender intersex none of the soft butch twin-spirit brother gender gifted khal above static gendered two-spirit bull dyke gender lady none of your stone butch undecided burl normative MTF business stone femme undeclared butch gender outlaw MTFTM nongender switch third undefined butchdyke gender refusenik MTM omnigender gender unspecified crossdresser gender MTX omnisexual tomboy walyeh diesel dyke transcender mahu other tomgirl woman drag hag gender variant male other-gendered tranny womyn drag king genderbent male-assigned pangender trannyboy XO drag prince gendered male-bodied pansexual trannychaser XTF drag princess genderfuck man pansy trannygirl XTM drag queen genderqueer man-chick person trans Xanith dyke genderstraight masculine plumber femme transboy effeminate gink me polysexual transdyke End Notes 1. In a survey conducted by the Loree Cook-Daniels and Michael Munson, participants were offered13 transgender identity terms from which survey respondents could choose. 15% of respondents objected so strongly to being “boxed in” to only 13 categories that they wrote in (often angry) comments of complaint. Over 17 additional gender identities were suggested by respondents. For some of the results of that survey, see http://www.forge- forward.org/newsletters/v07i01/ surveyresults.htm. 2. “Hir” and “sie” belong to one of several gender-neutral pronoun systems; they encompass not only males and females, but also individuals who claim a gender identity outside or beyond “male” and “female.” 3. FORGE is a national organization, founded in 1994, serving transgender individuals and SOFFAs. FORGE houses the Transgender Aging Network. 4. Note that the term “bisexual” presumes two genders. For that reason, many trans individuals and SOFFAs are creating or adopting terms such as omnisexual, pansexual, homoflexible, heteroqueer, and transsensual to express the belief that there are more than two possible genders to which someone could be attracted. PO Box 1272, Milwaukee, WI 53201 | [email protected] | www.forge-forward.org .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Practical Tips for Working with Transgender Survivors of Sexual Violence
    Practical Tips: working with trans survivors michael munson Practical Tips for Working With Transgender Survivors of Sexual Violence Who Are Transgender People? Transgender is an umbrella term which encompasses the whole “gender community,” including transsexuals, cross‐dressers, intersexed individuals, androgynes, bigendered persons, genderqueers, SOFFAs (Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies) and others. Transgender may also refer to people who do not fit neatly into either the “male” or “female” categories, instead crossing or blurring gender lines. The term can also refer to butch lesbians and effeminate gay men. In some communities, “transgender” refers only to cross‐dressers. By definition, transgender individuals piece together a self‐identity that is different from or in opposition to what everyone tells them they are. Although the rise of the Internet and growing public visibility of transgender people and issues are making it easier for individuals to tap into preexisting identity models, the transgender experience is still largely an isolated, individual one. This might be the primary reason why the nomenclature for the trans experience is both unsettled and, among trans people themselves, very hotly contested. There are literally hundreds of words used to describe a trans identity or experience (See last page). Therefore, definitions and examples should be used gingerly and in a way that makes it possible for each trans individual hirself to use the term(s) s/hei considers most reflective of hir self‐conception and experience. Key Concepts Our culture strongly promotes the idea of an immutable gender binary in which people are supposed to fit into only one of just two gender boxes, and stay there from birth to death.
    [Show full text]
  • Butch-Femme by Teresa Theophano
    Butch-Femme by Teresa Theophano Encyclopedia Copyright © 2015, glbtq, Inc. Entry Copyright © 2004, glbtq, inc. Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com A butch-femme couple The concept of butch and femme identities have long been hotly debated within the participating in a group lesbian community, yet even achieving a consensus as to exactly what the terms wedding ceremony in "butch" and "femme" mean can be extraordinarily difficult. In recent years, these Taiwan. words have come to describe a wide spectrum of individuals and their relationships. It is easiest, then, to begin with an examination of butch-femme culture and meaning from a historical perspective. Butch and femme emerged in the early twentieth century as a set of sexual and emotional identities among lesbians. To give a general but oversimplified idea of what butch-femme entails, one might say that butches exhibit traditionally "masculine" traits while femmes embody "feminine" ones. Although oral histories have demonstrated that butch-femme couples were seen in America as far back as the turn of the twentieth century, and that they were particularly conspicuous in the 1930s, it is the mid-century working-class and bar culture that most clearly illustrate the archetypal butch-femme dynamic. Arguably, during the period of the 1940s through the early 1960s, butches and femmes were easiest to recognize and characterize: butches with their men's clothing, DA haircuts, and suave manners often found their more traditionally styled femme counterparts, wearing dresses, high heels, and makeup, in the gay bars. A highly visible and accepted way of living within the lesbian community, butch-femme was in fact considered the norm among lesbians during the 1950s.
    [Show full text]
  • Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues
    Jacob 1 Lillie Jacob Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues: Finding Myself in the Margins One of the earliest memories I still have mental access to is of my mom walking into my room to make sure I was actually getting ready to get in the shower (I’ve always had a tendency to not do the things I’m supposed to, when I’m supposed to). I still remember taking my shirt off and watching her face fill with both amusement and disappointment. I could never figure out how to gracefully pull my shirt off with my arms crossed, so I took the boyish route of grabbing the back of my collar and yanking it over my head. “Lillie, honey, that’s not how you take a shirt off. I’ve showed you the right way before, remember?” “But this is how Dad does it.” “Well, you don’t want to be like your father,” she replied, laughing. I stayed silent then, but the truth was, and still is, that I wanted to be exactly like my father. My dad represented masculinity for me, and that was always the space that I felt comfortable. I continued throughout my life, unable to do many things the “girl way.” I always sat with my legs spread out, dresses made me uncomfortable, and when I hit puberty, I started stealing my dad’s boxers to wear instead of the underwear my mom continually tried to buy me. My friends constantly said things like “you’re such a boy, sometimes,” to me, but I was perfectly okay with that as a descriptor.
    [Show full text]
  • LGBT-Parent Families
    LGBT-Parent Families Abbie E. Goldberg • Katherine R. Allen Editors LGBT-Parent Families Innovations in Research and Implications for Practice Editors Abbie E. Goldberg Katherine R. Allen Department of Psychology Department of Human Development Clark University Virginia Polytechnic Institute Worcester , MA, USA and State University Blacksburg , VA , USA ISBN 978-1-4614-4555-5 ISBN 978-1-4614-4556-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-4556-2 Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: 2012945937 © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, speci fi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on micro fi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied speci fi cally for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Democrats Draw Sharp Contrast with GOP Over LGBT Issues Memorial
    OCTOBER 16 2015 VOLUME 46 ISSUE 42 • AMERICA’S GAY NEWS SOURCE • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM Democrats draw sharp contrast with GOP over LGBT issues By CHRIS JOHNSON [email protected] LGBT issues did not fi gure prominently during the fi rst Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday, but some candidates — including Hillary Clinton in her widely praised performance — sought to weave support for the LGBT community into their responses, drawing a key contrast between them and their Republican counterparts. Only once did LGBT rights get framed as part of a question: When moderator and CNN reporter Anderson Cooper noted Clinton’s changes in positions, including same-sex marriage, and asked whether she’ll say anything to get elected. “Well, actually, I have been very consistent,” Clinton replied. “Over the HILLARY CLINTON was one of three Democratic presidential hopefuls who cited LGBT rights on Tuesday. PHOTO BY 1PHOTO; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK CONTINUES ON PAGE 14 Memorial plans stalled four year in a four-year eff ort to establish a memorial site for Kameny in Washington. years after activist’s death Kameny died of natural causes at his D.C. home on Oct. 11, 2011. He was 86. His passing came a short time after the By LOU CHIBBARO JR. Library of Congress accepted the donation of his voluminous [email protected] collection of papers detailing his work on behalf of LGBT equality over a period of more than 50 years. The president of D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery says he’s According to Williams, the Veterans Aff airs Department hopeful that a memorial headstone for the late gay rights pioneer informed him it could not approve an application that he Frank Kameny issued by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Download PDF Datastream
    Claiming History, Claiming Rights: Queer Discourses of History and Politics By Evangelia Mazaris B.A., Vassar College, 1998 A.M., Brown University, 2005 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of American Civilization at Brown University Providence, Rhode Island May 2010 © Copyright 2010 by Evangelia Mazaris This dissertation by Evangelia Mazaris is accepted in its present form by the Department of American Civilization as satisfying the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date: ________________ ______________________________ Ralph E. Rodriguez, Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council Date: ________________ ______________________________ Karen Krahulik, Reader Date: ________________ ______________________________ Steven Lubar, Reader Approved by the Graduate Council Date: ________________ ______________________________ Sheila Bonde, Dean of the Graduate School iii CURRICULUM VITAE Evangelia Mazaris was born in Wilmington, Delaware on September 21, 1976. She received her B.A. in English from Vassar College in 1998. Mazaris completed her A.M. in Museum Studies/American Civilization at Brown University in 2005. Mazaris was a Jacob Javits Fellow through the United States Department of Education (2004 – 2009). Mazaris is the author of “Public Transgressions: the Reverend Phebe Hanaford and the „Minister‟s Wife‟,” published in the anthology Tribades, Tommies and Transgressives: Lesbian Histories, Volume I (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008). She also published the article “Evidence of Things Not Seen: Greater Light as Faith Manifested,” in Historic Nantucket (Winter 2001). She has presented her work at numerous professional conferences, including the American Studies Association (2008), the New England American Studies Association (2007), the National Council on Public History (2009), and the University College Dublin‟s Historicizing the Lesbian Conference (2006).
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Lesbian Genders: a Queer/Sociological Approach
    Contemporary Lesbian Genders: A Queer/Sociological Approach Alison Jane Eves Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of PhD The University of Leeds Department of Sociology and Social Policy March 2002 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. 'Contemporary Lesbian Genders: A Queer/Sociological Approach' Alison Eves: University of Leeds identity has been This thesis attempts to develop the insights of recent work on that influenced by poststructuralist theory, and in particular 'queer theory', through an I empirical study of the social construction of lesbian genders. examine sociological work Lesbian identities on sexuality, queer theory and feminist work on butch/femme. are constructed at the intersection of specific discourses, structures and conscious agency. There is a lack of sociological element in queer theory but I am interested in the potential for developing this despite the epistemological difficulties it raises. Queer theory has enabled a radically different way of theorising butch/femme as transgressive queer practice with the potential to reveal the constructed and contingent nature of all gender. The study has involved semi-structured interviews with 31 women who have various degrees of identification with either `butch' or `femme'. I identify particular `interpretative repertoires' in identity narratives and examine the ways in which these are socially located. These findings are used to contest the assertion that community is dominant understandings of identities differ radically from the constructionism that the theoretical paradigm. I outline the construction of specific contemporary butch and femme subject positions and the ways in which these are discursively located in relation to heteronormative discourses.
    [Show full text]
  • Insider/Outsider Perspectives on the Wellington Lesbian Community(S)
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. &l{,n 't :'5u. rh,e ]=(Ire.st ]=(Ir rh,e rru.s •.• Insider/Outsider Perspectives on the Wellington Lesbian Community(s) A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts In Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Michelle Stevenson 2007 Contents Abstract v Acknowledgements vi Glossary vii Figures x Chapter 1 Introduction 11 The Historical Construction of Lesbianism 12 Historical Lesbianism in New Zealand 17 The Hidden Lives of Lesbians 18 Lesbianism: A 'Deviant Problem' in Society(?) 21 Lesbian History in Context 23 Chapter 2 Literature Review 24 What Is A Lesbian 25 Lesbian Legitirnacy 27 Lesbian Community(s) 29 Membership in Lesbian Communities 32 What Counts As Data 33 Lesbians Researching Lesbians 34 Limitations of Lesbians Researching Lesbians 35 Benefits of Lesbians Researching Lesbians 37 Where Does the Researcher Fit Within the Insider/Outsider Binary 38 Researcher Bias 39 ii Chapter 3 Methodology 41 Purposive or Judgement Sampling 41 Auto ethnography 44 Participant Observation 47 Target Group 50 Focus Group 51 Limitations of Focus Groups 52 Benefits of Focus Groups 53 On-Line Blog 55 Limitations of On-Line Blogs 55 Benefits of On-Line Blogs 56 Ethical Constraints 56 Trust 57 Anonymity 57 Self-Censorship 58 Chapter
    [Show full text]
  • Femalemasculi Ni Ty
    FEMALE MASCULINITY © 1998 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper oo Designed by Amy Ruth Buchanan Frontispiece: Sadie Lee, Raging Bull (1994) Typeset in Scala by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book. FOR GAYAT RI CONTENTS Illustrations ix Preface xi 1 An Introduction to Female Masculinity: Masculinity without Men r 2 Perverse Presentism: The Androgyne, the Tribade, the Female Husband, and Other Pre-Twentieth-Century Genders 45 3 "A Writer of Misfits": John Radclyffe Hall and the Discourse of Inversion 7 5 4 Lesbian Masculinity: Even Stone Butches Get the Blues nr 5 Transgender Butch: Butch/FTM Border Wars and the Masculine Continuum 141 6 Looking Butch: A Rough Guide to Butches on Film 175 7 Drag Kings: Masculinity and Performance 231 viii · Contents 8 Raging Bull (Dyke): New Masculinities 267 Notes 279 Bibliography 307 Filmography 319 Index 323 IL LUSTRATIONS 1 Julie Harris as Frankie Addams and Ethel Waters as Bernice in The Member of the Wedding (1953) 7 2 Queen Latifahas Cleo in Set It Off(19 97) 30 3 Drag king Mo B. Dick 31 4 Peggy Shaw's publicity poster (1995) 31 5 "Ingin," fromthe series "Being and Having," by Catherine Opie (1991) 32 6 "Whitey," fromthe series "Being and Having," by Catherine Opie (1991) 33 7 "Mike and Sky," by Catherine Opie (1993) 34 8 "Jack's Back II," by Del Grace (1994) 36 9 "Jackie II," by Del Grace (1994) 37 10 "Dyke," by Catherine Opie (1992) 39 11 "Self-
    [Show full text]
  • BUTCH.“ UNTERTITEL: „Was Genau Meint Der Begriff „Butch“? AUTOR IN: „Katharina Rost“
    HAUPTTITEL: „BUTCH.“ UNTERTITEL: „Was genau meint der Begriff „Butch“? AUTOR_IN: „Katharina Rost“ BUTCH. Was genau meint der Begriff „Butch“? Aufgrund seines vielfältigen Bedeutungsspektrums lässt sich keine einfache Definition angeben. Denn es ist auf eine Vielzahl an Deutungen und Zuschreibungen hinzuweisen, die sich bei der Verwendung des Begriffs zeigen und die im Folgenden näher aufgeschlüsselt wird. Diskutiert wurde der Begriff im Rahmen der feministischen Theorie und den Debatten feministischer Aktivistinnen vor allem von den 1970er bis in die 1990er Jahre. Auch in der Gender Theorie der 1990er Jahre wird der Begriff, prominent z. B. von Judith Butler, aufgegriffen. 1 Zwischen Stolz und Scham. Für die Lesbengeschichte stellt die Butch eine Ikone dar, über die Lesben Sichtbarkeit und damit gesellschaftspolitisches Gewicht erhalten (haben), aber auch angreifbarer wurden. Aus diesem Grund ist die Butch innerhalb der Lesbenkultur und -forschung in ihrem Status stark umstritten. Ein Blick auf die historische Perspektive in der Lesbenforschung und den Gender Studies zeigt, dass die Butch in ihren vielfältigen Ausprägungen – wie z. B. der mannish lesbian zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts – präsent ist und zumeist hochgeschätzt wird. Im Butch-Femme-Reader (1998) führt die britische Medien- und Kulturwissenschaftlerin Sally Munt aus, wie Lesben über ihre (Selbst-)Repräsentation durch Butch/Femme eine Form gefunden haben, sich gesellschaftliche Sichtbarkeit, politische Wirksamkeit und kulturelle Eigenständigkeit zu kreieren (Munt 1998: 4). „Being
    [Show full text]
  • Novel Approaches to Negotiating Gender and Sexuality in the Color Purple, Nearly Roadkill, and Stone Butch Blues
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1997 Distracting the border guards: novel approaches to negotiating gender and sexuality in The olorC Purple, Nearly Roadkill, and Stone Butch Blues A. D. Selha Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, and the Literature in English, North America Commons Recommended Citation Selha, A. D., "Distracting the border guards: novel approaches to negotiating gender and sexuality in The oC lor Purple, Nearly Roadkill, and Stone Butch Blues" (1997). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 9. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/9 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. -r Distracting the border guards: Novel approaches to negotiating gender and sexuality in The Color Purple, Nearly Roadkill, and Stone Butch Blues A. D. Selha A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Major Professor: Kathy Hickok Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1997 1 ii JJ Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the Master's thesis of A.D. Selha has met the thesis requirements of Iowa State University 1 1 11 iii DEDICATION For those who have come before me, I request your permission to write in your presence, to illuminate your lives, and draw connections between the communities which you may have painfully felt both a part of and apart from.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesbians As a Subcultural Community: Style Representation of the Self Through Consumption
    Bachelor thesis International Program for European Studies Malmö University Spring 2009 Lesbians as a subcultural community: style representation of the self through consumption By Yu-rong Chang Supervisor Bo Isenberg Bachelor thesis - Lesbians as a subcultural community By Yu-rong Chang Abstract Homosexuality is no longer detested by legislation in some countries and nor being seen as taboo which nobody would ever think of or discuss about. Studies on the queer community have also prospered and come under various debates. Historically and currently, lesbians appeared to be having more invisibility than gay men do, that fewer topics are solely targeted on lesbians, without being mixed together with other groups within the LGBT (Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders) community, despite the increased lesbian exposure in non-political fields, such as the media. This paper intends to create discussions on the ways personal styles are presented and perceived within the lesbian subcultural community by individual lesbians through consumption, basing on in-depth semi-structured interviews with lesbians from Sweden and Taiwan. Style in this paper is contextualized mainly as dress modes, bodily appearance and adornments. From the interviews I found different degrees of femininity and masculinity expressed by each respondent, and their ways of interpreting and make sense of their own bodies and comments on other styles. There is an apparent lack within the current gender discourses to support cross-dressing and other acts which contradict the conventional way of doing gender. Differences in one’s self-taste of style representation and her conception of gender also lead to different degrees of acceptance to certain styles and behaviors.
    [Show full text]